Presidential Perspectives

Orientation

This August, my younger sister visited Carnegie Mellon during first-year Orientation. After experiencing Orientation counselor training, she thought Carnegie Mellon was one of the most exciting schools she’d ever visited. And since I’m originally from California — home of UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and UCLA — it was a pretty weighty statement on her part.

So what made my sister think we are the coolest school? The orientation counselor experience. As an OC, you’re surrounded by some of the most exciting, creative, warm, adventurous, and enthusiastic people on campus. Orientation Counselor training acts like a matchmaker — getting students who all have similar vibes and interests in one place. It’s pretty neat.

This week, we encourage you to try the OC experience for yourself. Orientation counselor applications are online at www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/first-year/orientation/counselor/. The application deadline is this Friday, February 23, 2007. You’ll need to answer some basic questions about yourself, explain your interests, provide peer and professional references, and submit a digital photo. All applications should be mailed to Kaylie Thompson (khthomps@), who is the head orientation counselor in charge of staff selection and training.

Whether you want to work in a rambunctious first-year area or the more relaxed Oakland areas, there’s an aspect of Orientation that appeals to everyone. So apply! Plus, you know you want to go through Playfair again.

Student government: Get involved!

We’d like to charge our readers with the goal of greater campus involvement. There are vacancies in Student Senate and it’s up to you to fill them. Student Senators fund campus events, write campus policy, and improve student welfare. Better lighting in the Peace Garden and the printer in Donner are both the work of Student Senate. Senate can be a powerful place to get involved, and under the current chair, Joel Bergstein, it’s a fun and efficient way to get involved. Senate is doing some great things right now and we encourage you to step up and give back to your campus.

If you have questions about Student Senate, e-mail Lauren Hudock (lhudock@), the chair of Senate’s Communications Committee.
And of course, if you have any ideas, concerns, complaints, or visions of campus change, come talk to us! E-mail sbp@ or sbvp@.